Lookout Stingrays, We Are On Our Way!

Posted on Thursday, April 18, 2024 by Paul

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

The ship was on time as we spotted the harbor at 6:00  am.

You Know?  When Columbus made his landfall in the Caymans in 1503, he found tortoises and sea turtles in such profusion that he promptly named the islands Las Tortugas.  But the name that stuck for the islands was the Carib word “Caimanas.” Fitting, since the caiman is a New World crocodilian and the islands were long the lair of pirates, buccaneers, and assorted freebooters.

Despite their past, the Caymans are a Caribbean demi-paradise of white-sand beaches, coral gardens, and offshore waters harboring spectacular shipwrecks.  Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman also boast the highest standard of living in the entire Caribbean.

The weather was perfect, and there were no mountains here; it was flat as a pancake!

We had company; a Celebrity and a Carnival ship were there a little before us.

They were anchored in the bay and getting ready to use the tenders to go ashore.

We arrived right on time at Grand Caymen Island.  We landed in Georgetown and then took the bus to catch a small boat and ride out to Stingray City!  (See the map below)

The Cayman Islands is a self-governing British Overseas Territory and the largest by population.  The 264-square-kilometer (102-square-mile) territory comprises Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman islands.  They are located south of Cuba and northeast of Honduras, between Jamaica and Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.  Georgetown on Grand Cayman is the capital city, the most populous of the three islands.

We took the bus from Georgetown a short distance and then crossed the light blue area to Stingray City via a long boat.

We hopped on a water taxi to the pier since the piers did not handle large ships!  The city provided a fleet of tenders that could take 150 people at a time.

We were pretty small compared to the Mother Ship!

The port provided efficient transportation to and from the docks using new boats.    It was a walk-on/walk-off arrangement.

The boats loaded and unloaded 2,000 people per ship in a half-hour.

We were greeted with a Hula by the temporary mayor of the city (for today).

Hilo (Mary) Hatti waved to us!  (Do you remember Hilo Hatti?)
Native Hawaiian singer, hula dancer, actress and comedian (1901-1979)

We were taken to a tent where we awaited the bus, which had the driver’s seat on the wrong side of the vehicle.  This is a British protectorate, so they drive crazy.  I paid particular attention because we will be in Ireland in a few weeks and have rented a car.

Mary has the tickets, so we are ready to go!!

Driving down the wrong way on the streets was a little exciting!

I just closed my eyes at every turn.

We arrived at the dock and jumped onto a 50-passenger boat to the sandbar called Stingray  City.  About 25 minutes later, we disembarked  (climbed a ladder off the back of the boat into the water) and met an experienced guide who instructed us on how to handle the stingrays.

We are ready for them; are they prepared for us?

The boat tied up and dropped an anchor, and we went into the wonderfully warm water.

We went for a swim in waist-deep water and discovered friendly white southern stingrays at Stingray City, a group of sandbars located 25 miles off the shore of Grand Cayman. The water surrounding the sandbars is pretty shallow, which makes it ideal for people of all ages to join in the fun. We had 90-year-olds in the water with us, and I assisted an older lady who was scared of the stingrays in climbing back up the ladder to safety.

The graceful southern stingrays glided around us as we entered their natural habitat’s clear three to four-foot-deep waters.  A couple of those rays were licking their lips, a worrisome sign.   These giant sea creatures are so used to humans that they allow us to feed, play, pet, and take pictures.

There were a lot of people, but it was not crowded.

The winds brought in some large waves, meaning about five feet tall, so you had to keep an eye out, or you would swallow salt water!

It was a perfect day to chase the little critters around.

We got up close and personal with one little guy named Seymour.

Go ahead, Mary, touch him, but be careful of the poison stingers.

They dared me to kiss Seymour, so I puckered up and planted one on his nose. Ah, I think it was his nose.

SMOOOOOCH!!   Mary got a kick out of that!!

Then, all of a sudden, I was attacked by a “StingMary,” a rare fish that finds decrepit old men and plants kisses on them!

We think Seymour was getting jealous!

One more little pat on Seymour’s head, and we were off to get dry.

Hello S  mour!  Keep your lips puckered!

After getting on the boat, we were warm, but after an hour in the water, our wrinkles had wrinkles!! Mary has a new nickname for me: Wrinkles!

What’s the secret to having a smoking hot body as a   senior?  Cremation!

One benefit of old age is that your secrets are always safe with your friends … because they can’t remember them!

After getting in the boat (no easy task, I may add), I got in the sun, and within a few minutes, I was somewhat dry!

Read the T-shirt;   It says, “WARNING, I Bought The Drink Package.”

We headed back to the island and through the mango groves to the hidden base from where we began the journey.

In thirty minutes, we will be on the 16th floor in a hot tub, recalling our harrowing adventures today and how we got away from the man-eating rays!

Just before boarding the tender, the crew gave Mary the T-shirt since she whispered to all the rays in the local area.  They are now lining up to go to the aqua-eye doctor.

#1 Ray Whisperer!

OK, back to the ship. We will go by bus and then the tender! When we arrived, we were starved, so we went to the pool area and ordered a burger and a dog. They disappeared immediately. From there, we went to the adult’s hot tub and enjoyed the 96-degree water!

We returned to the room before heading to the 18th floor and meeting David, our new friend.  David joined us at about 7:15 pm. We had a few drinks before we decided to crash!

Dinner on the 18th!

David went his way, and we decided Mary needed to see the shops before they closed.

Whilst heading for the shops, we decided to pick up some of our pictures from the cruise.  This is where I met Grance!

What can I say?? (Note: it was staged by the photographer)

The shops are near the ship’s center, and we heard danceable music, so we sat and had a drink (or two).

I said we would go to the room when I could carry the martini glass without spilling it. Mary was attempting to make it smaller so we could go.

It was 10:00 p.m., and it was time to head home, so we did. We pushed the elevator button, rose two floors, and walked to our suite, a mere 10,982 steps away!

See you tomorrow!

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Another Day At Sea; Grand Caymens Here We Come!

Posted on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 by Paul

A big AMEN to that one!

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

The ocean was calm, and the sun shone, making for a magnificent day on the water!  We have 500 miles to make it to Grand Cayman,

Magnificent!

Days at sea are very tiring. One would think you sit around all day and count the fishies, but that is untrue. We have to decide between many activities, so we plan the day when we get up in the morning.

We hit the floor running. First, we headed to the spa/fitness center, where Mary did Yoga for an hour, and I peddled a bike for 50 minutes, doing five miles on a 5% gradient. I burned 400 calories!

The workout area can hold 200 people, all using up-to-date machines!

After a good workout, we headed to the restaurant and found healthy food. Well, food, anyway. The buffet had everything one could ask for.  Mary met the sous chef from Germany; he was happy to have someone to talk to in German!

There are so many choices!

Then I remembered what happened last week at the market!  It’s fine to eat a test grape in the produce section, but one bite of rotisserie chicken, and it’s all, “Sir, you need to leave!”

From there, we returned to the spa, but something happened to our reservation.  We were disappointed so we departed for the room until the next event    Mary found the letter from the Spa Manager thanking us for using the facilities and for signing up for four couples’ massages.

We took the letter upstairs to the receptionist, and she was very apologetic She gave us another 15 minutes at no charge for later in the afternoon! Problem solved.

We almost had an opening, but the Ice Man Cometh!  From a large block of ice, Chop Chop soon made it into a beautiful ice sculpture.

The weather was tropical; that’s perfect!

I would NOT want to meet this guy in a dark alley and have him angry at me!

Someone had to be working.

Within ten minutes, he made a beautiful sculpture out of a solid block of ice!

A Hawaiian house against a flower backdrop!

OK, the morning is finished, but wait, there is more. At 12:45, we had a champagne and chocolate tasting in the dining room, so we dashed to the Grille and met up with David.  We tasted three sparking wines and selected from six different fine chocolates.

We tasted until we had to leave for the next appointment!

We ran upstairs to the spa and headed to the massage area, where we enjoyed 70 minutes of luxury. Mary says I fell asleep; imagine that!   We felt like “Wet Noodle Nelson” after this session.

They tried to take my picture, but alas, the camera lens cracked.

It was now 3:00 p.m., and the massage was over, so we went VFR to our suite because tonight was a formal night. We needed to get cleaned up and change into the tux and gown for formal pictures.  We dined at Sabatini again. Their Italian dining is quite good, plus the restaurant is 16 floors up and overlooks the ocean.

She brightens up the restaurant every evening.

After dinner, we had planned to attend a magic show. However, when we arrived a little late, we found that all the seats were taken. So, we decided to do some laundry instead. We took our dirty clothes to the laundromat, and within an hour, we had clean clothes.  We stayed with the clothes and ready our paperwhite readers.

From there, it was dancing or sleeping; we decided we needed to rest. It had been a fantastic, active day!

Chasing the Sun!

Tomorrow, we swim with the stingrays on Grand Camen Island!

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Columbia, Here We Come!!

Posted on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 by Paul

We have our dance shoes on!

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

The sea was a tad angry last night, but not enough to move the ship—just enough to generate a lot of spray. We got a phone call this morning—it was from room service! They knocked at our door, and we were still asleep. Mary jumped up and got our morning coffee while I disappeared into the bathroom. We must be having too much fun!

Robin and Scout sent us a text; Scout is doing just fine!

We arrived at 6:00 am and pulled in beside a Holland American liner, preparing to depart.

Nice looking ship; Robin would approve.

We cleaned up and got ready to go on tour, even though we didn’t have to leave until 10:30 am.  We had breakfast in our room.

The people and cars look small from up here!

Cartagena is a port city on Colombia’s Caribbean coast.  By the sea is the walled Old Town, founded in the 16th century, with squares, cobblestone streets, and colorful colonial buildings.

Cartagena, Colombia, has many forts, including the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, also known as San Felipe de Barajas Fort.  Built in 1536, this fortress is located on the Hill of San Lázaro and is Colombia’s largest fortification.  It was initially called the Castillo de San Lázaro and was built by African slaves under Spanish supervision during the colonial era.

The walls were slanted so the attacking forces’ cannon balls would glance off the structure.

Since 1990, the castle has served as a location for social and cultural events offered by the Colombian government in honor of foreign delegations at presidential summits, ministerial meetings, the Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (1995), and the Summit of the Rio Group (2000), among others.  The castle is open to visitors, but only some tunnels are open to viewing.

A lot of rocks were stacked up and served the city well.

We got dropped off and walked a block to the dance studio, but when our guide rang the bell, no one showed up!  They had moved, so we walked another six blocks to the new location.

She raised her red umbrella so we could follow her.  Getting lost in this city would be easy!  The streets appear to have been built without any planning, as they go every which way.

She kept the 31 on us in toe without a single loss.

The streets were exceptionally clean, and fantastic plants grew everywhere!  However, we were warned that the roads and sidewalks were notoriously uneven, and tripping was a national pastime.

Mary wore her tennis shoes and brought her dance shoes, which was a good idea.

The homes and businesses were painted bright colors, which Vicky would appreciate!  Bouginvilla and other vines grew up the sides and had been doing that for decades.

The natural rainfall of the area watered them.

The studio was up two flights of stairs, so we went slowly and ensured we could still dance after the effort!

Good name for the studio: Crazy Salsa!

The room was long and narrow but well-air-conditioned—a little extraordinary!  The ladies wore skirts to move around as they danced, and the guys wore hats.

One size fits all!

The instructors were young and knew the stuff!  We learned three dances, two of which Mary and I knew but forgot the rhythm.  Once they showed us, we were off and running.  The third dance was from Africa and involved using a machete, so we paid little attention to it, knowing the Elks would probably not play that tune.!

We were there for two hours and had a Mojito drink to cool us down!

We had to find our bus, but not before we were taken to two shopping areas.  One was an emerald store, but Mary saw nothing that caught her eye!

I tried to get Mary to turn her hat upside down, and I would have filled it with local street vendor fruits; it was a no-go!

We returned to the bus and drove to the port, where we had another photo op!  The port is quite large, and the skyline is impressive, with tall buildings everywhere.

We popped out of the bus for the photo op and sent it to Marshall.

Why does “slow down” and “slow up” mean the same thing?

The breeze was very refreshing.

We were ready to return to the ship, so we jumped on the bus and traveled the last two miles.

The skyline was quite impressive.

There was a bird sanctuary at the pier’s entrance, and we strolled through it.  It was exciting.

With all the sounds, we had to visit it.

You could put out your arm, and the parrots would jump on your arm.  Most of them were not in cages and walked around looking at the passengers.

Why do we say something is out of whack?  What is a whack?

We counted about 70 of these beautiful animals and saw anteaters, turtles, and other jungle inhabitants.

We walked the last couple of blocks to the ship!

We went to the 18th floor, got our drinks at 4:15 pm, and waited for our reservations at Sabatini Restaurant at 5:20 pm.  It was a wonderful day!

The ship pulled out as we sat down; the skyline floated across the back window.

Dave and I tasted sweet cocktails, and our waiter was terrific in fulfilling our requests, including a clear chocolate martini.

Why is the third hand on a watch called the second hand?

We are looking for more drinks for the next few days!

Mary was a good girl and stayed with Chardonnay!

With the help of the iPhone, we look up drinks!

We stayed after dinner was complete and swapped stories; it was great fun!

Those things that never happened were a lot of fun!

We have a day at sea tomorrow, and the next day, we arrive in Grand Cayman for a day of exploring.

Good night, all.

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We Passed Through The Canal And Heading For Cartagena Columbia!

Posted on Monday, April 15, 2024 by Paul

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Today will be full of surprises; we cross between continents in a matter of hours!

Did You Know?  The Panama Canal has 12 locks, with six sets in the new and six in the old sections.  Each set of locks has a series of steps that allow ships to move up or down in elevation.  The locks are built in double, with two independent transit lanes, and each lock has horizontal sliding gates that can overcome the difference in level between the oceans and Gatun Lake.  The new locks allow transit of more extensive New Panamax ships, which have a greater cargo capacity than the previous locks were capable of handling.

There are two independent transit lanes since each lock is double-built.  The size of the original locks limits the maximum size of ships that can transit the canal; this size is known as Panamax.  Construction on the Panama Canal expansion project, which included a third set of locks, began in September 2007, finished by May 2016, and began commercial operation on June 26, 2016.  The new locks allow transit of more extensive New Panamax ships, which have a greater cargo capacity than the previous locks were capable of handling.

We were up at 6:00 am sharp to prepare for the transit, my fourth and Mary’s first!  The sun was coming up over the bay surrounding Panama City.  We saw many ships awaiting their turn to make the transit, but we got priority because we were a passenger ship.

Panama City’s skyline was pretty in the early morning.  However, the city does not attract many cruise ship visitors because its docks are too small to handle the influx of people easily.

When is it time to paint another coat on a pirate ship?  When its timbers be shivering!

Good morning, Panama City

The first sight was the Bridget of the Americas.  The Bridge of the Americas (Spanish: Puente de las Américas; originally known as the Thatcher Ferry Bridge) is a road bridge in Panama that spans the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal.

Designed by Sverdrup & Parcel, it was completed in 1962 for US$20 million, connecting the North and South American land masses (hence its name), connecting the American Continent.

Two other bridges cross the canal: the Atlantic Bridge at the Gatun Locks and the Centennial Bridge.

Bridge of the Americas ahead.

The announcer told us not to be worried; we would clear it by a few feet!

Why do pirates have such a hard time remembering the alphabet?  They get lost at “C”.

We made it with six feet to spare!

The new gates came out from the side of the canal instead of swinging open and closed.  The new gates were made in Italy and weighed about 3100 tons per gate.

The new locks are built parallel to the existing ones, and side basins are used to minimize water consumption.  The gates are a dual system, implying that two independent gates are servicing the entrance/exit of each lock.  This improves the reliability and maintenance of the lock system since it is possible to maintain operations while one gate is serviced.

The new locks are 55 meters wide, 427 meters long, and 23 to 33 meters deep.  The Gatun locks have a total lift of 85 feet, while the Pedro Miguel locks have a total lift of 54 feet.  The new gates for the Panama Canal weigh an average of 3,100 tons each. The final gate, which weighs 4,232 tons, is one of the heaviest. 

The Panama Canal is about 50 miles long and crosses a ridge on the Isthmus of Panama.  The canal’s water system supplies an average of 165,000,000 US gal (625,000 m3; 137,000,000 imp gal) of additional water annually, enough to provide an annual average of approximately 1,100 additional lockages.

The gatehouses are quite modern and are controlled from a central control room.  They use hydraulics to move the gates open and close.  Read here for more information.

The gates are ten feet wide and can be maintained from inside the gate itself.

How does sit work?  We asked YouTube!

Entering the first lock was exciting.  Once in, they let water in and raised the ship over thirty feet in minutes!  Then we did it two more times, and all of a sudden, 125,000 tons of ship were raised 85 feet into the canal, and off we went!

Only a crew of ten people is assisting the ship; people are everywhere in the older locks.

Once past the locks, we have 50 miles of steaming toward Lake Gatun and then into the Atlantic Locks.

The rainforest comes right down to the shore of the river/lake!

Bridge #2 is Panama’s Centennial Bridge (Spanish: Puente Centenario).  It is a central bridge crossing the Panama Canal.  It was built to supplement the overcrowded bridge of the Americas and replace it as the carrier of the Pan-American Highway.  Upon its opening in 2004, it became the second permanent canal crossing.

The “steps” along the canal are the original diggings, which were made by the American effort to prevent the sides from crumbling and entering the canal.

Newly built in the 1960s.

We had no issues crossing the 3,451-foot-long bridge that opened on August 15, 2004.

Duck!!   e are on the 19th floor of the ship at this point.

After the second bridge, we crossed the east and west continental divide.  This was the highest point in the effort to make the canal, and they used 63,000,000 pounds of dynamite to loosen the rock so the 68 steam shovels could load the residuals into freight cars for disposal.

The ship was moving, and the wind blew, so we had new hairdos for this evening!

We are up on deck 19th aft, where the jogging track and miniature golf are located.

It is better to be below; there are more windscreens available.   In some places, the vegetation came right down to the water.

We might need a saloon visit to fix our hair!   aloon or Salon?   Only time will tell!

The Panama Canal Dredging Division’s headquarters has been in Gamboa, on Gatun Lake, since 1936.  The division is near Gatun Lake and Culebra Cut, which require continuous dredging.  Due to the area’s seismically active nature, the dredges operate constantly.

They have many dredges available to keep the canal open.

After a four-hour transit, we are at the Atlantic gates and will soon be in the Caribbean Sea (Atlantic).  The Atlantic Locks are directly ahead of us.  Three more locks, and we will have crossed into the Atlantic Ocean.

The captain had a challenge; the wind was really blowing!

Bridge #3 is the Atlantic Bridge, a road bridge in Colón, Panama, spanning the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal.  It was completed in 2019 and is the third bridge over the canal after the Bridge of the Americas and the Centennial Bridge, both on the Pacific side of the canal.

The bridge is a double-pylon, double-plane, concrete girder, cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 530 meters (1,740 ft) and two side spans of 230 meters (750 ft).  The east and west approaches are 1,074 meters (3,524 ft) and 756 meters (2,480 ft) long, respectively.  China Communication Construction Company designed the bridge.

The Atlantic Bridge was beautiful and took a lot of traffic between the Americas.

By 4:00 pm, we crossed the canal and were picking up speed toward Columbia, our destination for tomorrow morning.

We went to dinner at Crown Grille, and I introduced David to two new drinks: a Mudslide and a Nutty Irishman.   e downed them and continued with dinner.

Mary did a taste test and decided the Nutty Irishman was the winner.

Their steaks were outstanding.   Mary’s selection could feed a small army!

Wow, it looked like a dinosaur!

After dinner, we went to the photo shop and the customer service desk; my medallion somehow died when I dropped it into the vodka drink last night.

We crashed at about 8:30 pm but watched Cheers for a few minutes.  Tomorrow, we are going to dance Salsa in Cartagena.

Good night, all; it’s been a fantastic day!

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Sailing To The Panama Canal; Just 400 Miles Away!

Posted on Sunday, April 14, 2024 by Paul

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Our eyes did not open until after 7:00 am (we did have a time change last night).  We watched Fox News to catch up on the war, hoping the rag heads would go down in flames.  Yesterday took its toll, but we recovered and headed to the gym to work out the kinks before breakfast!

Mary did her yoga while the old man peddled for 40 minutes and traveled six miles.  Departing the gym, we went to the customer service desk and retrieved my cane, which I had left in one of the saloons yesterday.  Then, it was off to breakfast at the trough.

Breakfast at sunrise.

Mary wanted her Latte, so we stopped at the Coffee Shop, and she got her fix.

Why did the kangaroo stop drinking his cup of coffee? It made him too jumpy.

A-h-h-h-h-h

Off to breakfast.

We had many choices for breakfast.

We spent the rest of the morning just resting.  At 1:00 pm, we had an authentic wine tasting.  The wines were from Italy, and they were pretty good.

The eye doctor has a lot of glasses!

Did I say glasses?  We had four glasses for the wine, one for the water, and one to pour the lousy wine; it was not used.

Sparkling clear!

David joined us for wine tasting.

Wine brightened him up!

The rosé wine was excellent, and we noted the name so we could have some for dinner.

Yummy!

After lunch, we went to the 18th floor for a while, and then I decided to take a nap and attempt to get my nose under control; allergies were going wild.  I got some Benadryl from the dispensary, and it seems to work.

I woke up at about 7:00 pm, and we decided to have dinner, so we went to the Crab Shack on the 15th floor.  We each had the soup, and I had the Cajun bucket.

Mr. Crab greeted us!

We were dropped, and I guess we looked sloppy.

No spills here.

The clam chowder soup served in a bread bowl, was pretty good.  It was not as good as The Fish Company back home, but it was pretty close.

We enjoyed dinner!

Mary got a kick out of me using all the utensils to dig out the meat from the shellfish.  I looked like a mechanic in training.

Dig a little, drink a little!

Crawdads were excellent.  The name “crayfish” comes from the Old French word escrevisse (Modern French écrevisse).  The word has been modified to “crayfish” by association with “fish.”  The largely American variant “crawfish” is similarly derived

We had fum making the little crawdad talk and say naughty things.

Sweets for the sweet.  We had strawberry shortcake for dessert.

Just like home.

We almost ordered the big bucket but we would still be eating an hour later!

My oh my!

We got a text from Robin, and Scout said to say “Hello!” and he missed us!

His sister Robin and Bob are staying with him this week!

We waddled home.  The aisleway is about 700′ long, so we get a lot of exercise going back and forth between the various activities.

We can see forever!

Tomorrow, the Panama Canal!

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Zip Lines In Puentaneras Costa Rica

Posted on Saturday, April 13, 2024 by Paul

We are off to risk our lives walking over jungles on little bridges and hanging on a tiny cable at 95 miles an hour!

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

We were up at 6:00 am and walked onto the balcony.  The port was roomy, and we will be dockside this morning.

Oh my, it is going to be a hot one today!

Then I re-read the instructions/information: The tour requires moderate physical activity and is designed for active people who enjoy exercising outdoors.  The maximum waist allowed on the Zip Line is 50?  to fit into the harness.  The max weight for the zip line is 220- 240 pounds.  The minimum age requirement is six years old.  This trip is not recommended for those with heart or back problems or for pregnant women.

The busses were right next to the ship, so it was a short walk to the Mercedez’s brand new rides, which have GREAT air conditioning!  I made sure to wear a hat, and when we got to the zipline, they said, “No Hats” because no one wanted to chase them when they blew off.

My name?  007!

We took an hour bus ride to the location, as we needed mountains from which to zip!  The countryside was lush even though it was the dry season.  The rivers looked beautiful until the guide pointed out the alligators sleeping on the river’s banks!

Look carefully!

When we arrived, we looked for the “facilities” as soon as possible; the morning coffee worked well!  We looked at the map and realized what we were in for.

Oh My!  Nine opportunities to feed the wildlife!

Then, it was off to get hooked up.  Oh my, we had staps going every which way!  Mary noticed her watch, and it revealed the temperature was 94 degrees!

Mary thought she got a new easter bonnet; I reminded her it was a brain basket!

We took the tram to the top of the mountain, 29,876 feet above sea level—well, maybe 2,000 feet.  We had to use nine hair-thin rusty iron cables to get to the bottom.  The longest one was 1,100 feet in length over an alligator-infested jungle.

They took ten people at a time, and twenty cars were going up and back

When Mary mounted up and was ready to go, I could hear the alligators licking their lips!

The gators sound hungry!!  She made it, and the gators were very disappointed!

I was under zero pressure, and it did not bother me a bit!

I kept my legs (and other critical parts) high and away from the gators!

All I heard from her was “Geronimo.” She then jumped, grinning at the gators and daring them to take a bite; they frightened easily!

The walk between the various lines is called “moderate.”

It was moderate for a 40-year-old, maybe.  Mary and I sounded like steam locomotives as we ended our walks between the lines!

We walked on many stairs between the various takeoff and landing platforms.

We never knew our legs could get so tired.

Ah ha, civilization… the gift shop!

Evidence in the form of T-shirts was needed.

After the ziplining, we went to the main tent and had a Costa Rican black beans and rice lunch.  We also downed a beer to cool off.

The local beer was pretty good!

The dining hall could hold 200 people, and it was air-conditioned to the outside temperature.

Open air dining in the jungle!

As we finished our meal, we felt someone was staring at us; indeed, it was true.  Lizzy was under our table, waiting for us to drop something!

We met a new friend!

The ride back was excellent, and the roads were in great shape.

Sixty-five minutes, and we were home in our suite!  (via the bar, of course)

The ship never looked so good!

Hello AC

We were delivered right to the gangplank, and with some assistance, we made it to the top!

We were soaked and looking for something to drink!

We returned to the cabin, cleaned up, and ate dinner with David.

Dinner is served!

Our friend David joined us for dinner.

Time to crash!

When dinner was over, we went VFR to our room as we were pooped out; no dancing tonight!

Tomorrow is a restful day at sea before we hit the locks on Monday!

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Sailing Sailing Over The Bounding Main!

Posted on Friday, April 12, 2024 by Paul

We have been onboard for a week, so we did our laundry—whites first! They dried fast when we pinned them to the sails!

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

We were up and ready for the Spa because we had a couples massage scheduled at 8:00 am. Oh my!   Mary would not let me wear my jammies to the Spa, so I had to get dressed to go upstairs.  The Spa  is on Deck 16, and we are on Deck 9.

After the massage, we headed for the trough for our small breakfast.  The plate will be filled in a few minutes and then emptied almost as fast!

Decisions decisions!

The new ships had pneumatic toilets, which had to be serviced occasionally. I told  Mary to be careful, but she got caught up in a repair activity.

I warned Mary about these new-fangled toilets on ships!

Mary goes for healthy food while I try to assist others and eat the unhealthy food before they do!  I am just that kind of a guy!

Healthy food from the trough; that’s an oxymoron!

Yes, this is Paul’s plate with plenty of bacon, eggs, Canadian bacon, salmon, regular ham, cooked tomatoes, and other goodies hidden underneath the pile!!

Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if vegetables smelled as good as bacon.

After breakfast, we went to the 18th floor, read, and had a good BM (Bloody Mary).  We sat up there for almost three hours, enjoying the open ocean and watching the birds circle the ship.

We decided it was time to eat a Salty Dog Burger and some ice cream, so we headed to the pool, finding a seat away from the crowds and by the window.  The meal was quite good and should hold us until we go to the Grille tonight.

Mary got the burgers; I got the drinks!

The burgers were very good for being in the middle of the ocean, and the buns were not soggy.  The fries were crispy; we enjoyed the lunch!  Oh, we also had a small chocolate ice cream cone for dessert.

Not too bad!

But we had a severe problem.  We did not know which drink we liked better, a Majito or a Mint Julip, so we did the most natural thing: we ordered one of each.  Using a carefully crafted set of criteria, we sniffed, sipped, gargled, and downed these two delightful concoctions.  The outcome is a military secret; you must ask us when we get back on land.

As it is often said, “When life gives you limes, make a mojito.”

Mojito versus Mint Julip!

Huh?

We went to the Grill for dinner and had a super meal at the table overlooking the ocean.  We could see the sunset while dining on Filet Mignon and sipping a beautiful wine!

We could not pass up an opportunity to dance, so off we went to the lounge and danced for an hour and a half before crashing!

We went dancing!!

Good night, all. It is   9:30 pm, and we must be in the theater at 7:00 am to catch the ride up to the top of the mountain to zipline down the mountainside!

See you tomorrow!

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Another Day At Sea On Our Way To Costa Rica

Posted on Thursday, April 11, 2024 by Paul

We were up and ready to go to the gym by 8:00 am.  Off we went after a quick coffee delivered to our room.  Today is another day at sea, meaning we just went off and ran to different activities, and a few pictures were taken.  We were too busy!!

Mary kept up with the yoga activities at the gym, and I peddled about her 3.5 miles during the 35-minute trek across the desert; my bike had a video on it!

Look out, here I come!!

We missed the dining room breakfast activities and went to the trough, which was pretty good.   Many plump people make it a habit to stay at the buffet all day!

Hey Chubbs.

From breakfast, we headed to the theater to listen to the last half of the space presentation and the entire Panama Canal presentation.

We went to the theater for the lecture.

The slide that caught my eye was the Emerald Princess getting charged $480,000 to go through the locks, meaning everyone on board paid $171 to pass through the canal!

We pay a lot of money to go through the canal!

After the presentations, we decided to go to the dining room and have something small.  We both had their pumpkin soup, which was great, and we chased it with a mint julep.

After lunch, we went to our room and freshened up.  Then, we headed upstairs to the 18th floor, where we read books, worked on the needlepoint, and listened to music via our boom box.

Silver linings!

3:00 pm, we returned to our room, dressed in the tux and gown, and headed to get our pictures taken via the photographers scattered around the ship.

We returned to the 18th floor and awaited dancing.  Mary took me to the cleaners with her card savvy.

I think she counts cards.

We had a drink and a few snacks, which was dinner this evening for us.  I had my hands full being Mary’s arm candy!

She beat me three to one; she is a card shark!

She beat me again!6:00 pm

At 73:30 pm, we headed to the ballroom and danced until 9:00 pm.  We met our new friends at lunchtime and asked them to come down since they also loved dancing.  We had a great time.  Mary encouraged me to dance with the ladies who either didn’t have a partner or seemed to want to dance, but their husbands were sitting there.  Meeting new people and taking them for a spin on the dance floor is always exciting.

We returned to the cabin and crashed for another day at sea tomorrow, starting with a couples massage 8:00 am!

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Oh My; Attack Of The Crock-A-Gators!

Posted on Wednesday, April 10, 2024 by Paul

We must stop reading these books!

OMG, the alarm went off at 6:00 am, and we had two hours to get organized and be ready to head out at 8:00 am to visit Crocks and see the wildlife.

Thank you, Irene, for making this possible.

We were up as usual at 5:30 am, watched the Sun rise above the sea, and began to leave its mark on the world: HOT!

It is amazing to watch the thermostat register when the SuSunises.

Our destination has a tiny harbor, and we are glad we are the only ones here today!    Huatulco is a small but elegant view of Mexico.

The city is tucked away in a small harbor but has provisions for one large passenger ship.

The city was very clean, and many new buildings, mainly resorts, were being built in the area.

The beaches were pristine, and the water was still in the 80s.

We went to the check-in station in the theater and waited for our group number to be called. It was a half-mile walk to the bus, which went right through town so we could see the shops set up for tourists.

The buesses were brand new Toyotas and very clean.

We got on the bus and drove for almost an hour to the wildlife sanctuary.    The roads were pretty good, although there were speed bumps everywhere.     They must have driven over 75 speed bumps going and coming.

It was hotter than H-E double hockey sticks outside.

We ended up in Puerto Angel.

Did you know?    erto Ángel (English: “Angel Port”) is a small coastal town in the Mexican state of Oaxaca located in the municipality of San Pedro Pochutla.    , along with San Agustinillo and Playa Zipolite, are known as the “Riviera Oaxaqueña”. It is located 9 km south of Pochutla, approximately 50 kilometers west of Huatulco, and 80 kilometers east of Puerto Escondido. Spite tourism development since the 1960s, the town is still primarily a fishing village on a small bay surrounded by rocky hills that lead into the Sierra Madre del Sur. It was founded in the mid-19th century as a port for the region’s coffee and lumber industries, but since then, other means of shipping these products have replaced it.

We were dropped off near the center of the little town and offered a chance to use the facilities, but we were good to go. We had another 1/4 mile walk to the boats—BOATS??

We had to walk through town to get to the ecological grounds and the crocs.

It was 95 degrees and a tad moist, but we made it courtesy of a lot of water!

Mary carried our saddle bags, and then we traded off.

One of the guides took us on small boats around the area. The place was teeming with iguanas, birds, and even crocodiles! We were cautioned not to put our hands into the water, as we could lose them.

The boats held about 16 people each, and off we went.

As we paddled toward the ocean, we saw the first crocodile. It was conversing with the vulture about the possibility of breakfast! The Pacific Ocean is over the sand.

I was basking in the sun with a friend.

Birds were making extremely loud sounds in the trees. The folks in front of us were bird watchers, and it was interesting to listen to their banter about what the birds were.

 

 

One has to look carefully to see the Iguanas walking down to their daily treat provided by our guides.    The Iguanas are green and brown and match the foliage quite well.

Look carefully for the Iguanas; many in this tree are coming for a snack.

We were up close and personal with these guys, who were 15 feet long and probably 50 years old.    Needless to say, we did not jump the fence and scratch them, no matter what they said.

The crocks were not moving fast, but when they saw Mary, I saw that the big one licked his lips and smiled.

As Mary said, “If it gets any hotter, I’ll have to take off stuff I really ought to keep on.”

Take a good at Smiley!

Come over here little girl, I won’t bite!

We strolled through the deer enclosure, where the friendly little creatures approached us.   They appeared to be well cared for.

Heading back, the guide offered us a place to sit in the shade and drink.     We were brave and had a bottled beer.    The lovely lady brought us Quesadillas, and I figured they had enough tourists to be careful not to poison us, so I ate the quesadillas.     So far, so good!

To maintain the right home humidity levels, you can use a natural, portable, or whole-home humidifier, or a dehumidifier if needed. Ideal in-home humidity levels should hover around 45%. Anything under 30% is too dry, and over 50% is too high.  Amazon does not delivery to this location!

Lunch is a little grass shack!

The open-air kitchen was loaded with exciting pots and pans, and the stone grill was hot! T The fire was like a pizza oven!

We could feel the heat several feet away!

We arranged for a tour of the kitchen, which was quite interesting!

The most modern appliances!  Not an electric cord in sight!

The Iguana came over and wanted a bite.

He came over to say hello!

Back to the boats for a quick trip across the river.

Be careful there, big boy; you do not want to choke a croc!

I had it made since she assisted me.

“What do you mean there are crocks in the water??”Getting in and out of the little boat was exciting.

The hour-long drive was enjoyable.    Mary and I sat in the front seat with the driver, and he and Mary conversed in Spanish; she got to practice, and we got the low-down on the trip!

The town square was right on the beach!

We had planned to sit and have a Margarita on the beach, but we were so hot and damp that we decided a trip to our cabin was in order.    Then, we went to the 18th floor for a restful afternoon with music and our readers.

To the room to freshen up!

We went to Sabatini, a specialty Italian restaurant, for dinner. It   was quite good, and we had dinner with David again! There was more conversation and sharing. Mary had the Veal Scallopini while I opted for two appetizers plus a plate of spaghetti and meatballs. YUM!

Great fun to talk to!

After all the heat today, we were exhausted so we skipped dancing and went to bed.

 

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A Day At Sea Heading Back To Mexico

Posted on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 by Paul

We are doing it!

We had coffee and a roll in our room before heading to the gym.  Mary did her yoga, and I did 35 minutes on the bicycle while almost finishing my Clive Cussler book.

We went to the trough after the gym and had a light breakfast before going back to the room to clean up and get ready for tasting of the wines!

The wine experts knew their stuff.

They had 40 different wines, and we probably tasted twenty of them.  Twenty “tastes” was the equivalent of two glasses, so we were OK to drive.

Wine is the answer. I just don’t remember the question.

Mary found a favorite!

Our new friend joined us for the tasting.  He is an interesting fellow, and we have a lot in common!  He worked in aerospace, went to USC, and is a pilot.

Our friend joined us for dinner.

We had a call back home to talk to Joe and sing him a happy birthday as he turned fifty-three today, although I find that hard to believe since I am only thirty-nine; me and Jack Benny!

Joe turned 53 today!

We went to a tango dance class but we already knew the steps, so we watched.

We did the Bonachelli Dining Room this evening, and they had an interesting menu.  Mary tried the cold beet and berry soup, and except for the possibility of staining anything it touched, it was beautiful.  We will make that at home because we will have beets and berries ready to pick.

Mary selected the “Beet & Berry” soup!

We went to the show in the lounge and heard another super comedy routine.  100% clean and so funny we were falling off our chairs.

We watched the show before going to bed.

We returned home at about 9:30 p.m. and crashed. It was a very relaxing day at sea. Tomorrow, we will land in Mexico again and embark on a tour.

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